Nclex Cheat Sheet

Cram Sheet 1. Test Information o Six hours—the maximum time allotted for the NCLEX is 6 hours. Take breaks if you need a time out or need to move around. o 75/265—the minimum number of question you can answer is 75 and a maximum of 265. o Read the question and answers carefully—do not jump into conclusions or make wild guesses. o Look for keywords—Avoid answers with absolutes like always, never, all, o

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every, only, must, except, none, or no. Don’t read into the question—Never assume anything that has not been specifically mentioned and don’t add extra meaning to the question. Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or incorrect—to increase your probability of selecting the correct answer! Watch for grammatical inconsistencies—Subjects and verbs should agree. If the question is an incomplete sentence, the correct answer should complete the question in a grammatically correct manner. Rephrase the question—putting the question into your own words can pluck the unneeded info and reveal the core of the stem. Make an educated guess—if you can’t make the best answer for a question after carefully reading it, choose the answer with the most information.

2. Vital Signs o Heart rate: 80—100 bpm o Respiratory rate: 12-20 rpm o Blood pressure: 110-120/60 mmHg o Temperature: 37 °C (98.6 °F) 3. Hematology values o RBCs: 4.5—5.0 million o WBCs: 5,000—10,000 o o o

Platelets: 200,000—400,000 Hemoglobin (Hgb): 12—16 gm (female); 14—18 gm (male). Hematocrit (Hct): 37—47 (female); 40—54 (male)

4. Serum electrolytes o Sodium: 135—145 mEq/L o Potassium: 3.5—5.5 mEq/L o Calcium: 8.5—10.9 mEq/L

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Chloride: 95—105 mEq/L

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Magnesium: 1.5—2.5 mEq/L Phosphorus: 2.5—4.5 mEq/L

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5. ABG Values o pH: 7.36—7.45 o HCO3: 24—26 mEq/L o CO2: 35—45 mEq/L o PaO2: 80%—100% o SaO2: >95% 6. Acid-Base Balance o Remember ROME (respiratory opposite/metabolic equal) to remember that in o

respiratory acid/base disorders the pH is opposite to the other components. Use the Tic-Tac-Toe Method for interpreting ABGs. Read more about it here (http://bit.ly/abgtictactoe).

7. Chemistry Values o Glucose: 70—110 mg/dL o Specific Gravity: 1.010—1.030 o BUN: 7-22 mg/dL o Serum creatinine: 0.6—1.35 mg/dL o LDH: 100-190 U/L o Protein: 6.2—8.1 g/dL o o o o o o

Albumin: 3.4—5.0 g/dL Bilirubin: